Moving a DLR Trip to Walt Disney World- Let’s Talk!

[crystal1313]

Thanks, also I'm glad you had a great trip. Any last minute transportation info? My understanding is: No boats at Disney Springs or Epcot/Beach/Boardwalk. Boats are running at MK. Monorail not running to Epcot.

Any tips or corrections? There is SO much old info out there.

We never rode the monorail or boats. Just buses. We actually expected to uber much more often. We only took uber 3 times. We never had to wait more than one bus at our resort.(CSR) So we really lucked out I think. And twice, when we arrived at the bus stop, there were tons of people ahead of us, but no one got on the buses we needed, we couldn't believe it! We took an uber from AK to Disney Springs. The bus lines were massive when we left AK at closing. We also took an Uber from HS to Beaches n Cream. We were going to walk, but I was freezing, so my husband just got an Uber. We had to uber back to our resort from Beaches n Cream as well.

I was most concerned about transportation and pleasantly surprised. I'd say the only thing that was a pain was trying to get to DS. So much so for us, that we cancelled our other dining reservations at DS. (Plus mask compliance and enforcement was not the very good there compared to the parks). I was glad we got to try Homecomin. Food was incredible! Highly recommend.

Oh and FYI for Uber/lyft. We are a family of 4 and requested an Uber XL each time. It was about $15 a ride. Hope that helps!

 

[TikiTikiFan]

The Monorail is running, but not sure where to.
Skyliner has been popular. Not sure how it runs. @TikiTikiFan I think used it during her stay recently.

Buses are also in use. If you stay at an onsite hotel, check the resort threads and see how transportation is working for that specific hotel. Those threads helped me a ton for my stay. They are accurate and most up to date on current operations.

I loved the Skyliner! It was so convenient. But expect large lines in the morning for HS. Caribbean Beach is the main hub so if you’re coming from Pop and Art you have to transfer. We saw a lot of people from those hotels being directed to the back of the line at Caribbean so for rope drop from those hotels- not so great. For us though, it worked good as long as we lined up early.

The rule of thumb I generally used was to line up at the bus or skyliner 90 minutes before the park opening time. I took the bus a lot and didn’t have issues- they came frequently enough. Magic Kingdom seemed to be the biggest transportation hassle and hardest one to arrive early enough at. We probably did so good at HS just because of the Skyliner- rope dropped with no issues both days. The day we had the best luck with Magic Kingdom is when we ubered to the transportation center and then took the monorail. We got dropped off about an hour before park opening and we’re allowed to line up.

 

[julesann]

I know there is a thread for WDW people going to DLR for the first time. What about DLR vets who are considering WDW. I have no idea where to go for information about planning a trip. My db, my fellow DLR buddy, says he is headed to WDW with or without me as I've been waffling. Where on these boards can I get the best planning advice? And any other suggestions? Thank you. Wish I was planning a trip to DLR but....

 

[GoingSince1990]

https://www.disboards.com/threads/an-introduction-to-wdw-for-dlr-vets.1332683/

 

[julesann]

https://www.disboards.com/threads/an-introduction-to-wdw-for-dlr-vets.1332683/

Thank you for this information. It is very detailed and helpful. I can't tell if it has been updated since Hydroguy's 2019 trip or not--do you know if it has been? I'm wondering if there are other resources that are more current? Thank you!

 

[Mike_M]

Thank you for this information. It is very detailed and helpful. I can't tell if it has been updated since Hydroguy's 2019 trip or not--do you know if it has been? I'm wondering if there are other resources that are more current? Thank you!

Considering that the pandemic has changed the way WDW works from usual, it’s not quite as easy right now to detail how it’s different than a standard DLR trip. There’s the way it’s normally different (which I’d say are still valid in hydroguy’s thread) and then there are the COVID precautions on top of that.

The main WDW section would probably be the best place to check out what the pandemic has done to normal operations. I didn’t see a sticky thread in there for this but perhaps someone knows of one that would be helpful.

 

[sophy1996]

https://www.disboards.com/threads/moving-a-dlr-trip-to-walt-disney-world-let’s-talk.3815077/
[edited to add -- originally linked before the question above at #423 was moved to this thread]

 

[SeaDis]

Just returned and I agree: I don't think a deep dive is going to do much good right now. Until Fastpass returns, and hours/crowds/procedures/entertainment get closer to normal...you can only do so much planning. You just go and manage wait times as able throughout the day. My suggestions:

1) Setup your MDX account and download the App to start building "My Plans". It's much more advanced/integrated than DLR's app/system which is good and bad.

2) Reserve your park days as soon as possible. Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios may fill up, depending on your dates. IF they happen to be full, keep checking back as it's always in flux.

3) Start working on dining reservations (ADR). They are in constant flux as people cancel/move constantly, so you want to be looking throughout the day and may find yourself changing several times. Otherwise a good option is to just mobile order and eat outside. It's more flexible, less expensive, and keeps you from dining inside right now.

4) Parkhopping returns after the New Year. Can't help you there, just research the latest. Parkhopping is way more involved than DLR (bus/boat/skyliner/Uber) and I'm not convinced it's worth it unless there is nighttime entertainment to be seen in another park.

5) Be ready for ROTR boarding group system. The differences are: you can try at 7:00 AM for a Boarding group from anywhere (hotel room), but only if you have admission and a Park Pass for that day. They are gone in seconds, as usual. If you miss at 7:00 AM, you can try again at 1:00 PM, but only if you have scanned into Hollywood Studios before that point. Speed test Wifi and Data before 7:00 AM to see which one is faster. We used Data every time. *Anything that says 2:00 PM for the 2nd group is now out of date. 1:00 PM is the new time as/of last week.

6) The Skyliner is pretty cool and offers a great link between resorts, Epcot, and DHS. It's worth researching the line and where it goes. In the morning, it's been an advantage to ride it into DHS (ahead of the parking lots opening).

7) If using Uber/Lyft, google for some of the pitfalls, especially when going to Magic Kingdom.

8) I found this article and touring plans to be helpful and pretty reliable for the current environment at each park. However if one ride is down for a period of time, it can affect everything else. The rules of DLR apply right now: Get there early (*gates open and some rides start 30-45 mins before park opening to space out the morning crowds) and hit the headliners right away. Take a midday break if wanted/able, and ride hard just before closing. There are also some recent Youtube videos that are helpful. Check out recent vids from DFB Guide and Adam the Woo, among others.

*I agree with some others that ride times are often lower than published, by as much as 50% (usually 30% or so). They just can't measure them since the lines are so spaced out.

*All counter service, even the Blue/Green milk stand and Dole Whips are mobile payment. Stand off to the side and place your order. Usually you are called right away to collect your order. It actually works really well and we liked it versus waiting in line and ordering. Only at peak times at the busiest places will you see return windows push out past 30 minutes. The snack carts are the only exception where you can stand in line and order/pay.

*We read that Magic Bands are no longer free after 12/31/20. If that is a concern, you may want to order some online ahead of time and link to MDX (lots more design options online than at the front desk). I assume you can get by with the App (which can even unlock your Resort room door) but bands do make life a little easier around the Parks/resorts.

https://wdwprepschool.com/reopening/touring/
*Edits:
Change "rope drop" to "gates open"
Add info about mobile payment
Add Magic Bands

 

[theluckyrabbit]

https://insidethemagic.net/2020/12/disney-world-2021-ad1/

 

[Cal-Pie]

Well, I just booked flights to WDW in May. I just couldn't take waiting for Disneyland anymore. My kids aren't getting any younger and my oldest is leaving the nest next summer. U.T. agreed to refund my DL tickets at 100% if I purchase WDW tickets from them. I just need to decide how many park days we're doing before I complete the process. Got a killer deal through mousesavers at Hilton Tuscany Village. I would have preferred to be on property, but with 3 teens, the extra space in a 2 bedroom villa will be super nice, (probably more like super necessary). This will be our first WDW trip and I am super clueless. Please forgive me in advance for all the stupid questions I am about to ask...

 

[Mike_M]

Well, I just booked flights to WDW in May. I just couldn't take waiting for Disneyland anymore. My kids aren't getting any younger and my oldest is leaving the nest next summer. U.T. agreed to refund my DL tickets at 100% if I purchase WDW tickets from them. I just need to decide how many park days we're doing before I complete the process. Got a killer deal through mousesavers at Hilton Tuscany Village. I would have preferred to be on property, but with 3 teens, the extra space in a 2 bedroom villa will be super nice, (probably more like super necessary). This will be our first WDW trip and I am super clueless. Please forgive me in advance for all the stupid questions I am about to ask...

I was able to get the last trip with my kids before one of them turned 18 back in 2019 so I’m feeling lucky about not being in that kind of situation. I’m ok with waiting till Disneyland is back to ‘normal’. Normal is probably going to be 2022 or 2023 though.

Thankfully, you’re in the right place for WDW questions and there are no stupid questions. No forgiveness needed.

The only thing I can infer from your post at this point is that I think you’ll need to start preparing for the weather in May which is different than California. It’s a lot more humid which makes it feel much hotter.

Staying super hydrated and planning breaks from the heat will help. Plus, summer in Florida is prone to occasional sudden rainfall that lasts a few minutes and then returns to sunny and hot. These aren’t deal breaker things, but it helps to be ready for it.

 

[crystal1313]

Well, I just booked flights to WDW in May. I just couldn't take waiting for Disneyland anymore. My kids aren't getting any younger and my oldest is leaving the nest next summer. U.T. agreed to refund my DL tickets at 100% if I purchase WDW tickets from them. I just need to decide how many park days we're doing before I complete the process. Got a killer deal through mousesavers at Hilton Tuscany Village. I would have preferred to be on property, but with 3 teens, the extra space in a 2 bedroom villa will be super nice, (probably more like super necessary). This will be our first WDW trip and I am super clueless. Please forgive me in advance for all the stupid questions I am about to ask...

I felt the same way before our first trip a couple weeks ago. Ask away! I’d love to help! ☺

 

[Cal-Pie]

Here comes the questions!

1. Park days, I have 5 total parks days plus a day at the Kennedy Space Center. I'm thinking 2 days at MK, 1 Epcot, 1 AK, and 1 DHS. Dates are May 26-31. Keeping in mind that those dates include memorial day weekend, which park should I do on which day? Does it even matter with the reservation system, is attendance fairly stable or not? (I understand that everything could change by May)

2. Transportation, We are staying at the Hilton Tuscany Village. Google maps puts the drive time to the parks between 12 and 23 minutes depending on the park. How much time do we realistically need to drive, park and get to the gates at each park. Other than the ferry at MK, are we able to just park and walk to the gates, or are there trams and buses involved?

3. Hours, you'll need a crystal ball for this one. Any possible guesses? Pre corona, were WDW hours usually shorter than DL?

4. Counter service suggestions in each park? Not planning on many, if any table service meals inside the parks, unless you convince me otherwise.

5. Not a question, but a statement. I'm going to really miss maxpass.

TIA

 

[BGinCali]

For those of you (like me!) moving a trip this spring/early summer, new room discounts released today:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/late-spring-room-offer/

 

[Mike_M]

Here comes the questions!

1. Park days, I have 5 total parks days plus a day at the Kennedy Space Center. I'm thinking 2 days at MK, 1 Epcot, 1 AK, and 1 DHS. Dates are May 26-31. Keeping in mind that those dates include memorial day weekend, which park should I do on which day? Does it even matter with the reservation system, is attendance fairly stable or not? (I understand that everything could change by May)

2. Transportation, We are staying at the Hilton Tuscany Village. Google maps puts the drive time to the parks between 12 and 23 minutes depending on the park. How much time do we realistically need to drive, park and get to the gates at each park. Other than the ferry at MK, are we able to just park and walk to the gates, or are there trams and buses involved?

3. Hours, you'll need a crystal ball for this one. Any possible guesses? Pre corona, were WDW hours usually shorter than DL?

4. Counter service suggestions in each park? Not planning on many, if any table service meals inside the parks, unless you convince me otherwise.

5. Not a question, but a statement. I'm going to really miss maxpass.

TIA

1) Only thing I have to throw in there is if Rise of the Resistance is something you want to experience, make sure you have all the planning ready for your day at DHS with that in mind. 2x check the ROTR thread in the WDW section for tips. Not sure if there are days of the week where it’s easier/harder to get a BG, but i’d look into that too.

5) I feel you on this one.

 

[crystal1313]

Here comes the questions!

1. Park days, I have 5 total parks days plus a day at the Kennedy Space Center. I'm thinking 2 days at MK, 1 Epcot, 1 AK, and 1 DHS. Dates are May 26-31. Keeping in mind that those dates include memorial day weekend, which park should I do on which day? Does it even matter with the reservation system, is attendance fairly stable or not? (I understand that everything could change by May)

2. Transportation, We are staying at the Hilton Tuscany Village. Google maps puts the drive time to the parks between 12 and 23 minutes depending on the park. How much time do we realistically need to drive, park and get to the gates at each park. Other than the ferry at MK, are we able to just park and walk to the gates, or are there trams and buses involved?

3. Hours, you'll need a crystal ball for this one. Any possible guesses? Pre corona, were WDW hours usually shorter than DL?

4. Counter service suggestions in each park? Not planning on many, if any table service meals inside the parks, unless you convince me otherwise.

5. Not a question, but a statement. I'm going to really miss maxpass.

TIA

1. We almost went to Kennedy Space Center too! We figure we will on our next trip. We did get to watch a rocket launch from Coronado Springs. That was AWESOME! (Far away, but still awesome!) We did two days at MK, one at AK and 2 at HS (because we wanted to ride ROTR twice). I will say I wish we had another day at AK. What a beautiful park! I would look over on the WDW forums to judge what parks are better on what days, I am really not sure about that. If they are going to keep the attendance capped at a certain percentage, I am really not sure if that matters? I will say that HS seemed by far the most crowded when we were there, and we didn't get nearly as much accomplished there as MK or AK.

2. Wish I could help, but we stayed on site and mainly used the buses.

3. When we booked our trip, the hours were shorter, then closer to our trip, they extended the hours. Which was great for extra park time, but it REALLY messed up a lot of our dining reservations. Something to be aware of! I don't think it would have mattered if our reservations were in the parks, but due to the limited amount of options, we made a lot of reservations at Disney Springs. (Which after trekking to DS twice, we decided it was a pain and canceled the rest of our dining reservations! LOL

4. We really enjoyed Sleepy Hollow at MK (ate there twice-chicken and waffles and corn dogs) and Pecos Bill was pretty good too. Nothing spectacular, but it was better than I thought it would be! At AK we really enjoyed Satu'li Canteen and next door at Pongu Pongu they have the yummiest pineapple cream cheese lumpia! At HS, we actually had dining reservations for 50's prime time and Sci-Fi Dine in. Both were great! We also ate at Docking Bay 7 and ronto roasters. There were SO many snacks I didn't try because I was full, so I wish I just snacked my way through the parks. HAHA!

5. Same! A couple times at HS I REALLY wished there was FP or MP. =)

Have fun planning!

 

[TikiTikiFan]

Here comes the questions!

1. Park days, I have 5 total parks days plus a day at the Kennedy Space Center. I'm thinking 2 days at MK, 1 Epcot, 1 AK, and 1 DHS. Dates are May 26-31. Keeping in mind that those dates include memorial day weekend, which park should I do on which day? Does it even matter with the reservation system, is attendance fairly stable or not? (I understand that everything could change by May)
2. Transportation, We are staying at the Hilton Tuscany Village. Google maps puts the drive time to the parks between 12 and 23 minutes depending on the park. How much time do we realistically need to drive, park and get to the gates at each park. Other than the ferry at MK, are we able to just park and walk to the gates, or are there trams and buses involved?

3. Hours, you'll need a crystal ball for this one. Any possible guesses? Pre corona, were WDW hours usually shorter than DL?

4. Counter service suggestions in each park? Not planning on many, if any table service meals inside the parks, unless you convince me otherwise.

5. Not a question, but a statement. I'm going to really miss maxpass.

TIA

1. I only noticed an impact with Magic Kingdom. Our Monday there was SO BUSY compared to the Thursday we did. I suspect MK might suffer from the same busy Monday problem Disneyland always has had.

2. Also stayed on-site so not sure on this one. I’d ask on the WDW side of the board. People over there are pros at those technical questions. Try in the resort section or transportation.

3. Our hours were also extended right before the trip which was great. I’d anticipate that being likely. Also, don’t under estimate how tired you might be even with what feels like a ‘shorter’ day. Soooo much more walking there! I needed three days to recover when we got back I was in such bad shape haha. Too much working from home and not enough exercise might be to blame tho.... but regardless, the shorter hours didn’t bother me as much as I thought.

4. I liked Gaston’s Tavern! Be Our Guest was absolutely magical- I was an emotional mess at that one. But I grew up obsessed with Beauty and the Beast so that one really pulled on my millennial heart. I personally think it’s a must. Otherwise, Pinocchio Village Haus was decent and the view of small world was neat. (But so weird... why’s it inside?! why?!) Other than that, we did table service or lived off pretzels. My son is so picky so pretzels are often my go to.

5. Oh I did... especially those Photopass downloads!

 

[crystal1313]

4. (But so weird... why’s it inside?! why?!)

Lol. We wondered the same thing!! It was so weird. Like an alternate universe

 

[SeaDis]

Here comes the questions!

1. Park days, I have 5 total parks days plus a day at the Kennedy Space Center. I'm thinking 2 days at MK, 1 Epcot, 1 AK, and 1 DHS. Dates are May 26-31. Keeping in mind that those dates include memorial day weekend, which park should I do on which day? Does it even matter with the reservation system, is attendance fairly stable or not? (I understand that everything could change by May)

2. Transportation, We are staying at the Hilton Tuscany Village. Google maps puts the drive time to the parks between 12 and 23 minutes depending on the park. How much time do we realistically need to drive, park and get to the gates at each park. Other than the ferry at MK, are we able to just park and walk to the gates, or are there trams and buses involved?

3. Hours, you'll need a crystal ball for this one. Any possible guesses? Pre corona, were WDW hours usually shorter than DL?

4. Counter service suggestions in each park? Not planning on many, if any table service meals inside the parks, unless you convince me otherwise.

5. Not a question, but a statement. I'm going to really miss maxpass.

TIA

1) I think your number of days is correct if riding ROTR twice is not a priority. I think MK has the "most" to do and makes sense for 2 days, especially as a DL fan on a pilgrimage. Memorial Day is a unique challenge on crowd forecast standpoint. Normally I would say do MK on Wed or Thurs or maybe Sunday. However one thing to consider is your first morning, if you are coming from Pacific or Mountain time. On our trip, Epcot opened later (11:00 I think). We purposely scheduled that on our first day to allow some adjustment in the morning. Otherwise it's a very early morning going to MK, AK, or being up by 7:00 AM for ROTR boarding groups. So in this case, I would say MK on Thurs and Sunday. Unless you want to spend your last day there before your flight.
*There are some free crowd calendars out there. I don't recall the two I found but they really weren't much help given the capacity and lack of FP+. It might be totally different in 5+ months, but what can ya do. I think planning around your travel schedule might be more important.

2) We were also onsite, so just a couple thoughts. Do you plan on parkhopping? If so, I have read that park-to-park bus service is returning. In that case, Uber in the morning/evening might be the way to go, rather than moving a car around during the day. I read (maybe in this thread?) there is a hack to get dropped off at Speedway Market for Epcot/DHS. I know where it is, and yes there are walkways at Boardwalk that lead to both parks. But it's not clear to me how this works. I would think this private business would discourage it, but I don't know. For all but MK, I think you are correct: the parking seems to be close to the gates. In December the parking lots were not full (but there were definitely car lines at the toll booths in the mornings).

3) No idea except I would guess they are longer than currently.

4) No great recommendations but I think you are on the right path with counter service in the current environment. But I would consider making some key reservations at the 60 day mark just in case things improve dramatically. You can always cancel them.

5) MP = Almost like a family member is missing from the trip. Come back!

 

[crystal1313]

I would also think about placing a mobile order for food well ahead of when you want to eat. For instance, we wanted to try the loaded tots at woodys roundup one day, but when I tried to mobile order, the next available time was 2 hours out.

At MK we mobile ordered our Pecos Bill a little after lunch time so we could pick the time we wanted. Sleepy hollow doesn’t have mobile order. The line was crazy! But moved fast.

I agree with SeaDis about making dining reservations ahead of time just in case. You can always cancel. It’s easier than waiting until the last minute and trying to get a reservation.

I also agree about thinking about your first morning if you’re coming from the west coast area. We had a buffer day between our arrival day and our first park day. It was awesome. We didn’t sleep in Too late because we wanted to try to get used to the time difference. So we got up at 8am and took our time getting ready. We explored our resort, the kids swam at the pool and we went to DS for an early dinner. Getting up everyday at 6am or earlier to make it to “rope drop” with the time difference was pretty brutal! Worth it. But brutal!